Monster You Made
by The Mad Hatter Effect
Summary: My grin only widened a bit as I continued to hold out the two tickets, showing them off. I had gotten the tickets night after babysitting Darren and Annie, on the way home from work. :: CrepsleyxOc
1. Chapter 00

I was always a strange kid, even when I was little. Instead of playing with the other kids in school I was too busy keeping my heads in the clouds dreaming of fantastic and faraway places. It wasn't long before I had become rather enamored with fantasy, myths, the supernatural and such. Instead of participating in sports or after school activities I spent my days daydreaming, reading and playing video games. Any sort of fantasy media I could get my hands on, be it a game, a book, a movie or manga...

Ghouls, demons, werewolves, vampires, anything and everything that was said to lurk in the night and scare and hunt us all piqued my interest as I grew older, abandoning childlike fairy tales at a young age entirely in favor of the more real, more horrifying things that were fantasized about.

These were things that made me a little strange and a bit of a loner growing up...

Okay, maybe it was the lack of proper people skills, too. But I suppose that's what happens when one is born and raised in the country most of her young life, don't you think? But of course it was that lifestyle that caused me to grow rather bored in life as well. Nothing interesting ever happened in my life, at least nothing worth mentioning or telling others about.

After awhile we moved to the city, though things remained generally the same, I blended in rather well at first until I began to talk about the things I loved often and openly when prompted to. I often dressed a bit weirdly as well, wearing jackets I had made that would often be seen only in a video game or a book or a manga of some sort. I made a few friends who liked the same sorts of things and things got a little less boring...

Even so the fantasies and the horror media became my escape route from reality's boredom.

I'm out of school now, after having grown rather apathetic with such things and still sadly live with my parents. Have a dead end job, too, just barely scraping by giving away part of my paycheck to help pay the bills. It sucks when one's parents don't or can't work, you know?

But I digress...

I guess you can say it all started on the night I had to go baby-sit Darren and Annie for the Shans... The night when something interesting began to happen and my life would never be the same again. Hahaha, how cliche does that sound? But I suppose it's true.

As I stated before, I abandoned delusions and hopes of fairy tales long ago and the tale I'm about to go into isn't one, either. Sure there will be good times but sometimes it's the bad times that make you realize who you are and what needs to be done. The times that make you realize that sometimes what's necessary isn't always easy.

So sorry to break it to you, rockers, this isn't a tale of happiness where in the end everyone was happy and frolicking in the sunlight. Life doesn't work like that, you know?

But I suppose that's enough of my ramblings for now. I should delve into my own story even if you won't believe me. That doesn't matter after all. All that matters is that I tell it to you.

I should start with that night... the night I received the flyer for the Cirque.


	2. Chapter 01

A tap on my shoulder drove me from my game, that being Pokemon White, tracking down a Sandile for my team. I blinked up at the person over my shoulder, a perplexed look on my face I was sure. Before me stood my best friend, Winona (the person that was like a sister to me) a hand on her hip and an amused look on her face beneath the shadows the brim of her favored railroad hat provided over her face.

Winona was a tall woman, taller than me by several inches at least, with sandy colored hair cropped short to stay out of her way and off of her neck that was often hidden beneath a hat. Brown eyes danced in amusement at something or other that I had yet to figure out at the time, while her free hand pulled out her old and battered pocket watch from her jeans pocket holding it up enough for me to view it properly.

"Aren't you late, Rozy?"

"Lat-" before I could finish my question it dawned on me and Winona's expression only grew more amused at the look on my face. "What time is it, Wino-Wino?"

With a chuckle Winona had merely clicked the button on the pocket watch allowing the metal cover to swing open and show me the time. The gentle 'tic tock' that always accompanied a clock resounding out softly. I could only blink at the hands, my mind blank for several seconds as the Pokemon game's music continued playing from my old and worn out DS.

Finally it hit me; "Crap! I'm late!"

Winona could only laugh harder at my frantic movement as I ran for my messenger bag, completely leaving the DS on the table nearby and on, wasting away it's battery life for the time being. "That's what I just said!" she managed, a hand to her stomach from her laughter. She stuffed the watch back into her pocket after clicking the cover closed and moved to turn off my DS for me.

A strange groan of protest that sounded strangely like "Naaaah!" was my only response before I bolted out of the house in my rush. Down the steps of the porch before I had to promptly turn back around and rush back inside. It seemed Winona was expecting this as she was right there opening the door to leave as well holding out my way outdated phone for me.

Granted, I never used the thing but it kept my parents content enough if I had it with me while I was away, in case of emergency. "You're very amusing tonight!" Winona called out after me as a rushed "Thank you!" left me and I turned and bolted back down the steps and sidewalk in the direction of the Shan's home.

I ran as fast as I could, attempting to ignore the bag that smacked against the back of my legs with each step of the way. It was already a bit past sunset, the street lamps lighting my path as I went, my breath coming in deep heaves. I had never been a very good runner. Might've been my nasal passages or something though my allergies when it was fall and spring time didn't help either - whatever it was I could never seem to get enough air into my lungs when I ran.

"Here," a voice calls out in the silence that my pounding feet and bag didn't break, the owner of the voice holding out a piece of paper of some sort as I neared him.

A brow raised as I snagged the paper in my own hand, slowing to a halt several feet away as I gazed at it. Probably not my smartest move, I know, taking something from a stranger decked out in what looked to be some sort of stage costume. I scanned over the paper quickly, the flyer was full of information one would need, before turning to where the owner of the voice had been seconds before;

"What's this... for...?" I could only blink as the man had seemingly disappeared completely. Cautiously I spared the extra few minutes to hesitantly step forward and peer down the alleyway he had been standing in as he had handed me the flyer though he wasn't there either.

I huffed, my brow furrowing in disdain. I didn't like not understanding something and this was definitely one of those times. However, it wasn't like I had the time to dwell on it now. I had to hurry to the Shan's.

By the time I did arrive at their home I was sure I was red in the face, my lungs burning for more air in time with the ache in my legs from the constant run. My breath was still coming in great gasps as I rang the doorbell, the door swinging open soon after to reveal the small form of Annie Shan.

Her brown hair was pulled back in the usual pig tails and she adorned her usual style of a simple white t-shirt and a black skirt that ended about her knees. Her rounded face lit up in a large smile as she turned to shout behind her;

"Mom! Dad! Rozalin's here!" Now she turned, a taunting look gleaming in her eyes as she mocked lightly; "You're late!"

My mouth dropped in faux shock as I placed a hand to my chest for effect. "I am _not_ late! Time just so happened not to heed my call today!"

Annie laughed at me for that one, pulling the door open wider to allow me inside where I promptly removed the high top converse with a bit of difficulty, not wishing to sit down to remove them and thus forced to hop around on one foot to keep balance to do so.

"Glad to see you could make it," came the warm and kind voice that belonged to the one Dermot Shan as he arrived in the living room of his own home. When I looked up after unceremoniously dropping my footwear on the floor I noticed an amused grin on his face with his arms folded over his chest as if about to scold me.

"Ah, sorry about that..." I grinned sheepishly, rubbing the back of my neck. "I seem to have sporadically forgotten how to tell time today."

"That's not what you told me," sang Annie lightly, hands clasped behind her back. She merely grinned at the amused look I shot her.

"It's quite alright, we have plenty of time, don't we dear?" Angela answered stepping down the stairs and fixing her jacket to lay more properly over her shoulders.

"But of course! However, we should get going." Dermot nodded, still smiling as he held out his hand for his wife to take.

"Yes, I'm sure by now you know where everything is?" Angela answered, drawing closer to Dermot as they headed for the door. I could only nod, the smile still on my face.

"Yeah, don't worry."

"We'll be back before midnight, we assure you. If you need anything my cell phone number is on the pad near the phone," Dermot informed as the two left Annie waving goodbye energetically to them before closing the door.

"So, where's your lovely brother?" Annie could only roll her eyes at me as she turned, waltzing further into the house and no doubt to go about her usual activities on a weekend night.

"I think he's up in his room with a new comic book," Annie answers after a moment of thought as she, too, headed upstairs. And so the night went as it usually did when I came to baby-sit the two, with the occasional "I'm old enough to watch myself" spiel from both Darren and Annie from time to time as they wandered to the living room or kitchen from time to time. Of course neither were angry about it, they both loved their parents very much but it was of course the nature of all children to mope about such things.

It wasn't long before I was sitting on the couch with Darren, watching some horror flick he had picked playing on the movie channels, the boy thoroughly engrossed in it. Annie was off to the side of the room playing with her dolls contently as she often did. In all, it was a calm night.

It was at this point that I dug into my bag, searching for that flyer that strange man had given to me. I had stuffed it in there while running here and my mind had partly been focusing on it for the past hour or so. I hadn't had the time to really inspect it at the time I had received it and it was nagging at me to figure out what it was about.

I blinked down at the piece of paper in my hands, now crumpled from the abuse. It was rather colorful as well, with a small selection of images adorning it. Most noticeable were the images of silhouettes of a snake and a spider. My eyes scanned the information printed on the page from the lenses of my glasses picking out the most important tidbits.

'Cirque du Freak' and 'not for the faint of heart' really popped out.

_A freak show, huh? Sounds right up my alley... Anxiousness and anticipation bubbled inside of me causing my heart rate to accelerate a bit. Of course I did my best to quell this excitement at the prospect of something interesting happening. It may just be a fake with people in masks or something, I had to look cynically at this that way if I were right I wouldn't have my hopes dashed and if I were wrong... well, that'd be all the more reason for a bit of excitement and happiness._

_I'd have to check out the address on the flyer to get the tickets, maybe Winona would like to go as well. She liked strange things as well and if turned out scary she'd love it all the more afterwards, being a horror buff herself even if she was a bit of a coward. Besides, if it was a phony we'd both get enjoyment out of cracking jokes about it..._

"_Hey, what's that, Rozy?" Darren's voice piped up curiously, breaking me out of my thoughts. I blinked at him, before tucking the flyer back into my bag before he could get a good look at it._

"_Ah, it's nothing. Something for the factory." I bluffed easily, placing a smile on my face._

"_Oh," Darren sighed, shaking his head with a slight pout on his face. "And here I thought it looked like something interesting!"_

"_Hahaha, sorry to disappoint, little man!" Here I placed a hand atop Darren's head and began to ruffle his mop of black hair around despite his best efforts to stop me._

"_H-Hey! Stop that! Rozalin! That's not fair!"_

_Annie's laughter soon joined in with mine as she cheered me on, dolls in hand as she watched her brother being teased. Besides the encounter with the strange man and the flyer things had gone as they normally did and before I knew it I was heading home in the dark, once again the street light showing me the way through the night as I headed back, my mind filled with thoughts of freaks and other such creatures..._


End file.
